1. Conservation Values and Ethics

2. The Value of Biodiversity …may not be obvious to the public.

3. Intrinsic –vs- Utilitarian Value anthropocentrism- assumes that natural resources are here to serve the purposes of just one species- humans.

4. Intrinsically valuing biodiversity does not preclude appreciating its utilitarian value.

5. Only 1.7 million (~20%) of earth’s species are known to science. Loss of biodiversity may be compared to setting fire to vast libraries of information, vandalizing an art gallery, or desecrating a church.

6. Judeo-Christian Influence God-given right to dominion over the earth. God confers intrinsic value on every kind of creature.

7. Religion forwards conservation in several ways.  provides an ethical and social model for respecting nature.  protects plants, animals, and land- “holy places”.  ties humans with nature.

8. Biocentrism

9. Natural resource management in America originated in the 20 th century.

10. Environmentalists often urban employment unrelated to Natural Resource Management

11. Outdoor Recreationists Outdoor recreation IS NOT BENIGN!

12. Ecosystem Management places emphasis on maintenance of biodiversity, utility, and amenities of public lands. Managers must learn to manage “natural” communities and species of no economic value.

13. Scientific Standards & Ecosystem Mgt. Managers should… concentrate on ecological processes rather than a handful of economically valuable species. adopt an interdisciplinary approach to management.

14. Other Considerations Conservation Organizations, e.g. The Nature Conservancy Educational curricula should include: environmental ethics ecological restoration landscape ecology conservation biology

15. Establishing an Environmental Ethic Several belief systems impart value to land:  economic  scientific  religious  social/political

16. Misconceptions About Nature That Effect Belief Systems “Balance of Nature”- implies that: nature is static a “snapshot” should be preserved ECOSYSTEMS ARE DYNAMIC!

17. More misconceptions… Fragility –vs- Resilience Not all species are equally important in ecosystems.